


Rest for the Whipped

by avyssoseleison



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel in the Bunker, Cuddling & Snuggling, Curtain Fic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Human Castiel, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3061478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avyssoseleison/pseuds/avyssoseleison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newly human Cas can't seem to catch any sleep and, as a result, becomes a hazard for himself. The Winchesters try to help, each in their own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rest for the Whipped

Cas, now human and vulnerable in ways he had never been before, is finally safe and sound in the bunker. It makes the loss of his grace just that bit easier, a sliver more bearable, now that he doesn’t have to go hungry or cold again, hunted and afraid, and he has the Winchesters to go to should any questions about his human body arise. But that still doesn’t mean it’s not difficult for him, doesn't mean he's accustomed to being bound to a mortal body and all its pitfalls. Mostly, the Winchesters have taken to having set meal times, so that Castiel knows when his body needs food. It also tells him, in a round-about way, when he’s supposed to wake up and to go to sleep, though he has troubles with the latter; his mind can’t seem to get any rest at night, shaken by mares about things he has done, people he has sinned against, newborns he has wronged and hurt and slaughtered. So he often wanders around the bunker at night, exploring the vast hallways, reading in the library or habitating near Dean’s room -- because he can’t help but want to watch the hunter, though he knows it wouldn’t be appreciated.

Which means that sometime during the day, after a long night of restlessness, he often just curls into a little ball, like a cat, and falls asleep wherever. If he is simply taking his nap on the couch or the kitchen table or in the library, it is usually a bit inconvenient for everyone else, and the Winchesters do not hesitate to shake him awake and shoo him away. Though if he falls asleep in the garden while tending to the weeds growing behind the bunker (which he claims to be flowers) or in the storage rooms of the bunker while taking in the inventory, it usually affects him negatively, with aching limbs and a running nose or pounding headaches. It's his fault, so it's logical for him to endure the consequences, and both Sam and Dean hope he will at some point get that he shouldn't fall asleep outside or on hard surfaces, so they don't care too much. (Or at least Dean claims not to, but it has happened more than once that he found Cas asleep somewhere and carried him to the nearest soft and warm and safe surface. He never admits to it, though, and Castiel usually assumes that he managed to find an adequate place to sleep in the drowsiness before he took his nap.) But Cas falls asleep in the bathtub that one time and only wakes up because Dean is banging on the door and telling him that dinner is ready, effectively saving him from drowning. After that, Castiel's behavior is declared dangerous, for himself, mostly.

Dean is angry at him for being so reckless and forbids him to use anything but the shower when washing himself, claiming that Cas is going to die sooner or later if he keeps using the tub. And when Cas comes down with a huge fever because he fell asleep in the rain after mechanically working the soil and planting new seed in the garden and after that almost manages to drown in the _shower_ while falling asleep, still weak from his fever, the Winchesters decide that something needs to be done about Cas.

Dean argues that Cas is a hazard to himself and everyone else if he just drops of wherever and whenever (and he pointedly doesn’t mention that he might find it a bit cute, especially after he finds him sleeping in Dean’s room, in his _bed_ , a couple of times. And after Cas falls asleep while watching a movie with the hunter, with his head ending up on Dean’s shoulder and his nose in Dean's neck, Dean acts as if he hadn’t put a blanket over him and stroked his soft hair until he, too, fell asleep).

But what should they do? They provide him with enough pillows and blankets that his whole bed looks more like a den than anything, but it leaves him sobbing about nesting and mates. They fill him up with Goodnight-Tea that only makes him run to the toilet all night. They play him soft music that only works as background sound to his nightmares and in turn, by the contrast of it, only makes them worse. They try to wear him out during the day, with Sam taking him running, but it only exhausts his body even more without getting him any closer to sleep, which makes everything even worse.

(Dean also considers offering to help Cas in case he wants to take a proper bath again, so that he won't accidentally die in there, keeping him awake and maybe even washing his back and arms and shoulders and-- he decides against it.)

They come to the conclusion that maybe trying to work against the symptoms isn’t the way to go, but that they actually should work on the reason for his insomnia; that is, his nightmares. But that’s the problem right there: the Winchesters aren’t exactly the most useful and best-equipped people to have open and emotional conversations with for more than half a minute and a brotherly hug. Epecially since Cas seems to be very inhibited whenever Sam approaches him, as much as both of them try to pretend that's not the case (and it hasn't so much to do with Cas not trusting Sam, but if with anyone, he only ever allows himself to be truly vulnerable in front of Dean), and he has to be coaxed out of his shell for even the most basic of admissions. Dean doesn’t try to have any conversations about his nightmares at all, as far as Sam knows. So Sam scoffs at Dean and tries to call him out for it, because Cas is, after all, his best friend, and Dean should try to get over his fear of speaking about problems just that once, for Cas, at least. Because, according to Sam, it must be terrifying to be suddenly down in the dirt with all the other humans, after billions of years of non-corporal existence and centuries of disdain for anything human, and he can’t imagine how scared and confused Cas must be. Dean always just brushes him off with some line about Sam being a huge girl or anything and Cas being really old enough to handle stuff on his own and avoids any and all discussions about this.

But a week or two after their last failed attempt to help Cas, Sam notices that something’s changed: each day a bit more, Cas stops randomly dropping off. In the beginning, it is only occasionally and barely noticeable because there are many times he still is found lying around somewhere, completely dead to the world, but after a month or so, it comes to a complete halt.

Sam is happy, of course, but at the same time wonders what could have brought this positive development on. Dean doesn’t comment on it, not at all, but he always smiles in a very soft and weirdly gross way whenever Cas stumbles to the kitchen table in the morning, grumpy and messy, but finally well-rested.

Sam doesn’t think too much on it until one morning, both of them don’t turn up for breakfast. He goes to wake them, because not only do they have a case on that day, but he also really likes the way Dean makes omelette, if he’s being completely honest. He doesn’t find his brother in his room. A bit alarmed and frowning, he hurries to Cas’ room, shoving open the door with his gun raised, only to find both of them lying in Cas’ bed, deep asleep.

They are snuggling, completely tangled around each other, Cas spooning Dean from behind while he has his lips in Dean’s hair and his hand splayed wide over his abdomen, possessively. They are clothed, which Sam is more than thankful for, and the ancient alarm clock on Cas’ bedside table appears to be dead, has probably run out of batteries or been forgotten to be winded up again.

Sam slowly backs away and out of the room, smiling as he closes the door and finally pieces together why Cas’ behaviour changed. And he is really, really happy that probably Dean finally got his shit together and helped his ex-angel, coming to him with the offer him to cuddle or sleep with him or whatever, but at the same time, Sam knows he is _so_ gonna tease the hell out of Dean once they get up, and for weeks after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [my blog](http://avyssoseleison.tumblr.com/).


End file.
